The Bellevue School Board voted Friday, Feb. 17 to contact Susan Enfield to see if she is interesting in participating in an accelerated interview process to determine if she would be a good fit as district superintendent.

Board President Paul Mills was authorized to contact Enfield and determine as quickly as possible if she was interested.

While spokesperson Jacque Coe did not elaborate on Enfield’s response, she said that the candidate “has always indicated she would be open to an interview process with Bellevue.”

The next step will take place tomorrow, where, at a public meeting, the board will update its list of desired characteristics based on the input it received from community forums and develop a defined interview process for Enfield and other candidates.

The meeting will take place at 7:30 p.m. in the Educational Service Center, Room 200, 12111 NE First St., Bellevue.

While still considering other candidates, the board is racing to determine its plan of action with Enfield, now interim superintendent in the Seattle School District. This is because she is one of three finalists for superintendent in the Highline School District, which expects to name its choice on March 1.

Enfield was the board’s No. 2 choice three years ago when it picked Amalia Cudeiro, who resigned at the end of January, citing family issues.

In addition to voting 3-1-1 to contact Enfield, the board agreed on the following provisions on Feb. 17:

· The search process include an updated evaluation criteria based on the last two weeks’ community input;

· The interview process will include the school board, Bellevue Education Association (BEA), district administration and the public; and

· If after that process the board feels it has a strong feeling from what took place, it may extend an offer to a candidate.

The board also agreed to more clearly define and flesh out the above plan by Feb. 27.

The Bellevue School Board on Feb. 16 finished four days of meetings with the public to gather comments on the desired characteristics in the next superintendent. Characteristics to be considered included an understanding of Bellevue and its strengths and challenges, working smoothly with teachers, understanding of issues faced by students and parents in minority communities and those living in poverty, appreciation of art education and more.

At the Friday meeting, all board members expressed a desire to have the best candidate for the district. They also acknowledged the need to hire a candidate quickly to maintain momentum in the district while minimizing the impacts of a lengthy search.

After Cudeiro’s resignation, Assistant Superintendent Eva Collins agreed to serve as interim superintendent through June, and longer if needed. However, she also indicated a preference to return to her post as assistant superintendent.